Automobile parking stairways



March 11, 1958 P. F. FERREIRA 2,825,938 Q AUTOMOBILE PARKING STAIRWAYS Filed Oct. 6, 195a '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Paul F. F erre/ra IN VEN TOR.

March 11, 1958 P. F. FERREIRA AUTOMOBILE PARKING STAIRWAYS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 6, 1955 L A w R m l l II m o M u.\\N\\\\\\ Q N All I m9 M. W F W F. W w 9% P w r mm NSF Unit rates AUTDMOBILE PARKING STAIRWAYS Paul F. Ferreira, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii Application October 6, 1955, Serial No. 538,897

2 Claims. (Cl. 20--1.13)

atent C erally on the same level therewith, the ends of the two decks having a roadway communication therewith so that the vehicles may ride from one deckside to the other deckside and continue this process until the vehicles have reached the top of the building or reached the bottom, depending on which direction the vehicles are being operated.

A further object of this invention is to provide on a parking facility as described above, an outer network of roadways allowing entrance and discharge from any level of the building substantially directly to the ground level without the necessity of operating the vehicle spirally from level to level on the interior thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an outside network for roadways to serve incoming and outgoing vehicular traflic, particularly for emergencies such as fire or other casualty. The roadways may be used as carriers for other mechanical conveniences such as a moving stairway or conveyor for vehicles or pedestrians. The network of roadways may be used in existing or new buildings where it is desired to have parking on the roof or any floor.

A further object of this invention is to provide a maximum of parking area with a minimum building cost and yet have the arrangement such that the vehicles may be loaded and unloaded from the building with extraordinary speed.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a parking building which embodies the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the building of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on a line 3-3 of Figure 2 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 3 and in the direction of the arrows; and

Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of the first deck level in the parking facility, traflic lanes being shown schematically therein.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated a preferred form of my invention as being made of concrete reinforced with steel, although other building materials may be resorted to as found desirable by the builder. The parking garage or facility 10 consists of a building having nine decks 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28 respectively, each deck consisting of two deck panels,

Patented Mar. 11 1958 for example, the deck 28 having panels 29 and 30 that are inclined with respect to each other. The panel 29 is sloped downwardly toward the front F of the building while the panel 30 slopes downwardly toward the rear of the building. These panels are connected by a roadway 32 at one end of the building. Accordingly, automobiles on the upper panel 29 may be operated through roadway 32 to the roadway 30 and then, through roadway 34 (Figure 1) onto the panel 36 of the next adjacent panel 26. In this way, vehicular traffic may enter at the ground level, for example, through entrance 38 at the lower deck 12 level and driven from panel to panel of the decks until the top of the building is reached. If it is desired to stop on any of the deck levels prior to reach ing the top, this may be done.

An outside network of roadways is provided. The network consists of an inclined ramp 50 on the side 52 of the building 10. This ramp 50 extends to a turning apron 54 when winding around the corner 56 of the building 10, this ramp continues across the front of building 10 to the corner 58 thereof (Figure 1) where it winds around and is divided into ramps 60 and 62 at the enlarged apron 64 on the corner 58 of the building. Ramps 60 and 62 extend to corner 66 where there are aprons 68 and 70 respectively, these aprons being sufficiently large to accommodate three ramps. The apron 68 has ramps 72, 74 and 76 terminating therein, while the apron 70 has ramps 78, 80 and 82 terminating therein. Ramp 72 opens onto panel 30 of deck 28 while ramp 78 opens onto panel 83 of deck 26 and ramp 76 opens onto panel 84 of deck 24. Ramps 30, 83 and 84 are vertically spaced from each other. The three panels 85, 86 and 87 form parts of ramps 22, 20 and 18, respectively, and are serviced by ramps 78, 80 and 82. These ramps and aprons are used exclusively for loading of the building. The building is emptied from the side 52 by using ramp 90 which is inclined along that side to corner 92 of the building where there is apron 94 having ramp 90 in communication with it. Ramps 96 and 98 extend from the apron 94 and are in communication with panels of the decks 14 and 16.

Ramp 100 (Figure 1) functions as a discharge ramp for the building, and after extending around corner 58 passes across the front of the building 10 to apron 102 which is at corner 56 of building 10, where it branches to ramps 104 and 106, respectively. The ramp 104 extends to apron while the ramp 106 extends to apron 112, aprons 110 and 112 being on the corner 92 of the building. The upper ramp 110 has three branch ramps 113, 114 and 115 which have short roadways in communication with the panels of decks 28, 26 and 24. As seen in Figure 2, the branch ramps 113, 114 and 115 are extensions of the loading ramps 72, 74 and 76. The same situation prevails with regard to apron 112 which has ramps 116, 118 and 120 extending therefrom, these ramps being in communication with panels of the decks 22, 20 and 18 and forming continuations of the ramps 78, 80 and 82.

It is apparent from an inspection of Figure 2 that the network servicing the upper six decks is in two halves, one half being used for vehicular loading while the other half is used for emptying the building. Ramp 90, being used for unloading the decks 14 and 16 has a pair of ramps 126 and 128 formed as extensions thereof and which are connected with the decks 14 and 16 in order to load the same. Ramps 126 and 128 extend to apron 130 which is on corner 66 of the building 10, and a single ramp 132 extends therefrom and terminates adjacent to the discharge ramp 100.

In operation, the vehicles may move from deck to deck within the building, as described previously. Alternatively, the vehicles may enter ramps 132 and ramp w i service all of the decks of the building for vehicle loading thereof. In order to empty any one or more of the decks of the building, the ramps 96, 98, 120, 118, 116, 115; 114 and 113 are used, and these ramps lead ultimately to the discharge ramps 90 and 100 on the opposite sides of the building 10. The lower floor of the building is entered through entrance 38 directly from the street.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative .only of the principles of the invention; Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of, the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A parking building comprising a building structure which. has a plurality of tiers, each tier consisting of a deck that has a first panel sloping downwardly toward the front of the building structure and a second .panel which slopes upwardly toward the front .of the building structure, .said panels being in .side-by-sid e relationship to each other and having means over which vehicles are adapted to pass from one panel to the other whereby vehicular trafiic may move from deck to deck by being passed from one panel to the next adjacent panel, exterior ramps in communication with each of said decks and accessible at ground level to load and unload the building, and means interconnecting said ramps for passingfrorn one ramp to another said exterior ramps ineluding an apron from which a plurality .of roadways extend, and each roadway connected to both panels of one tier.

2. A parking building comprising a building structure which has a plurality of tiers, each tier consisting of a deck that has a first panel sloping downwardly toward the front of the building structure and a second panel which slopes upwardly toward the front of the building structure, said panels being in side-by-side relationship to each other and having means over which vehicles are adapted to pass from one panel to the other whereby vehicular trafiic may move from deck to deck by being passed from one panel to, the next adjacent panel, a vehicle inlet ramp secured on the exterior and to the building, an apron in said ramp, a branch ramp connected with said apron so that vehicles may pass selectively from said ramp to said brach ramp, said ramp and said branch ramp each having roadways which communicate with the panels of different decks, whereby. said different decks may be loaded and unloaded from within the building and also from the exterior thereof.

Re ferences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,431,939 picker Jan. 29, 1924 1,75a475 Williams June 24, 1930 2,689,324 Bur'n Sept. 21, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 439,554 Germany Jan. 12, 1927 OTHER REFERENCES Architectural Engineering, pages -128, Apr. 1947. 

